Sounds very sensible to wait a while, and then perhaps take stock of what other (moderate) changes you are willing to make long term.

I've recently taken stock of what's on my plates (and in my glasses) and made a few choices to reduce calories without counting. Mostly to drop the alcoholic beverages, and stop overfilling my dinner bowls - but I'm also dealing with some heartburn issues, so I have extra motivation for that.

The other thing (I may have missed this further back) is that if you feel you are truly eating moderately and that you don't want to make any other changes, are you moving moderately? Moderate exercise (urban rangering, etc) won't make a huge difference to your overall energy balance, but it can get things going again in the right direction. Plus it's just good for us

Thank you, Ironchef and SpiritSong. Thankfully, I finally lost another pound. What a relief to see the numbers go down a tiny bit again. I guess this should teach me to be a bit more patient and try not to get discouraged so easily. Just trust the process. Ironchef, to answer your question about exercise: Yes, I exercise, but maybe not as much as I should? I am doing about all I can handle at the moment, which is daily walks with my dog. 30 to 40 minutes 7 days per week. On those days when it’s raining and I can’t walk him, I do a 30 minute aerobics video from YouTube. So I do workout every single day. But most days, it’s just walking. I love wine but only drink a couple glasses every 2 or 3 months. If I do try to cut down calories, it will mainly be by cutting back on the amount of calorie dense food (as oolala calls it, I think-great description) and trying to eat lighter foods. I do eat a ton of veggies, but they are by no means the simply steamed variety, haha. I’m sure they are not light on calories. Stir-fry, creamy soups, baked but topped with butter, salads with real salad dressing, etc.

Yesterday and today (Tuesday and Wednesday) were both successes. Can’t believe tomorrow is Thursday. Looking forward to Saturday and the chocolate stash I have in my freezer. Gonna try to enjoy it without eating too much of it._________________43 years old. 5’6”. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Current Weight: 228 (14 August 2018)
41 pounds lost so far
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

Congrats on having the scale move for you! I think I have discovered that my dog walks aren't enough exercise to shock my body into releasing the weight. When I lost weight with No S the last time, I was doing at home workouts about six days per week. So something a little more intense may work for you.

Today (Thursday) was a success. Had a little full fat vanilla yogurt for breakfast. (The good yogurt here comes from Australia and man is it good!! I’ve tried a few and Dairy Farmers brand is my favourite so far. Love their lemon creme flavour and the carmalised fig flavour as well. But honestly, any full fat yogurt is amazing IMO.) Lunch and dinner were big salads with lettuce, cucumber, corn, vegetarian chicken nuggets and Japanese sesame dressing. Delicious and really fast to put together._________________43 years old. 5’6”. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Current Weight: 228 (14 August 2018)
41 pounds lost so far
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

Today was a bit difficult and technically a fail, but not too bad. Had a lot going on and dealing with a lot of negative emotions. Had the urge to eat all day. I resisted the urge, for the most part, all day. I did have one of those bite size peanut butter cups. But I stopped at one. And at dinner, I had a vegetarian Indian set meal that came with a small portion of payasam, a soupy, milky dessert. Which I did eat because I can’t resist most Indian desserts and kind of justified it because it came with the meal, haha. Truthfully, I knew it wasn’t on plan to eat it, but I’d resisted so much all day that I just didn’t have the will to resist anymore. But it was just those 2 small failures and it could have been much worse. I don’t have too many of those days where I am so tempted all day. And interesting to see how much my craving to eat was directly tied to my having a bad day. Well, tomorrow is another day and thank goodness it’s Saturday._________________43 years old. 5’6”. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Current Weight: 228 (14 August 2018)
41 pounds lost so far
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

Today was a bit difficult and technically a fail, but not too bad. Had a lot going on and dealing with a lot of negative emotions. Had the urge to eat all day. I resisted the urge, for the most part, all day. I did have one of those bite size peanut butter cups. But I stopped at one. And at dinner, I had a vegetarian Indian set meal that came with a small portion of payasam, a soupy, milky dessert. Which I did eat because I can’t resist most Indian desserts and kind of justified it because it came with the meal, haha. Truthfully, I knew it wasn’t on plan to eat it, but I’d resisted so much all day that I just didn’t have the will to resist anymore. But it was just those 2 small failures and it could have been much worse. I don’t have too many of those days where I am so tempted all day. And interesting to see how much my craving to eat was directly tied to my having a bad day. Well, tomorrow is another day and thank goodness it’s Saturday.

I hope tomorrow is a better day! I always appreciate "small r" red days where we can see these kinds of successes--the behaviors that are different from how we might have responded in the past. Well done!_________________Homeschool Mom and No S returnee as of 11-30-15.
2 years and counting on No-S.
29 lbs. down, 34 to go. Slow and steady wins the race.
Respect Moderation

I’m really glad the weekend is over. I overindulged and felt gross. Went to bed last night with a stomach ache and woke up groggy. I didn’t even eat all that much, but I did have a few pieces of chocolate after lunch and also after dinner. Yesterday was not a good day in general and not eating moderately made me feel worse. Feeling so much better now, at the end of Monday. Had breakfast, lunch and dinner and was successful in not eating anything besides that. I had one cup of tea in the afternoon. I’m about to go walk the dog and then turn in by 10 hopefully. Which is super early for me. Feeling so much better also lately (besides a few yucky days these past 3 days) by making a real effort to get to bed earlier. Listened to a podcast today called Hidden Brain. The latest episode is all about sleep deprivation and how it’s much worse for a person than we could ever imagine. It’s a real effort to go to bed early in Singapore. It’s part of the culture here to go to bed so very late. Most everyone I know goes to bed anywhere from 12 to 2am. Some even later. And then get up early to go to work! I don’t know how they do it. Maybe that’s why everyone looks like they are in a bad mood on the public buses and trains, haha._________________43 years old. 5’6”. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Current Weight: 228 (14 August 2018)
41 pounds lost so far
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

It’s Saturday afternoon here. Even though I promised myself I’d check in every day for the rest of the year, I just didn’t this week. I’ve been PMSing all week and have been tired and not really in the mood to check in. But I’ve been compliant all week despite lots of cravings to eat between meals. I’ve stayed green all week. I didn’t lose, but I just started my period and I didn’t gain either. Still at 246. Usually, I’m a few pounds up the first couple days of my period. So I’m hoping the scale will move in a downward direction in a couple days. I’m actually considering not weighing myself everyday. But I don’t want to weigh only once a month as I know how much weight fluctuates from day to day. So I might weigh myself for 3-5 days in a row once a month. Maybe from Tuesday to Saturday on the last week of the month or something like that. I’m not sure yet. But my weight loss has slowed so much in the past month that I’m finding daily weigh-ins a little discouraging.

On another note. I’ve been reading that some of you do intermittent fasting in addition to No S. I kind of by accident do as well. This is because I’m not a breakfast eater on most days. So I naturally go from around 7:30pm to noon or later the next day without eating. So I usually only eat 2 meals per day. However, I DO drink milk in my 2 morning cups of coffee. (No sugar only bc I prefer it that way.) I know this is technically not IF. I think it was Linda (?) who mentioned the importance of “clean” fasting. (If it wasn’t Linda, I apologise.) But I just wonder if I can really drink black coffee. And if it would really make a difference. I love my morning milky coffee. Can I really learn to love it black? I’m considering. I guess the only way to find out is to try. I may try it for a week just to see if I can handle it._________________43 years old. 5’6”. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Current Weight: 228 (14 August 2018)
41 pounds lost so far
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

Hi Crystal, well done staying strong when you have PMS, I can really struggle around those few days. Doesn't matter what the scales say, the most important thing is that you stayed strong and stayed green! Keep going! _________________"You'll know where the North Star is ⭐️" - Oolala

Hi Crystal,
Honestly, it's hard for me to believe the dollop of cream in your coffee is really what has caused you to stall in your weight loss. If you really love your coffee the way you have it, I encourage you to take a good long, honest look at what you're eating at other times and try to find a way to reduce the amount of calories you're eating in other areas. In my opinion, eating a bit less pasta/rice/potato/ bread will yield greater results that are pretty easy to sustain and overall be less noticable. I don't mean measuring or counting. I literally mean - take 3/4 of whatever amount you normally take or make an open face sandwich instead of a full size sandwich then fill the empty space on your plate with vegetables or possibly fruit.

That being said, making small changes over many different areas can really add up over time. The important thing is that the changes you make feel natural and not punishing. Some of the things that folks have adjusted are plate size; ratio of dense foods (pasta, rice, cheese, potatoes etc) to light foods (vegetables, soups, fruits); eliminate drinks that add calories (Starbucks) Many people have also found it helpful to add 15 minutes of exercise of their choice. The exercise doesn't burn many calories but it works magic on your brain.

Both those things being said 😉 I gave up cream and sugar in my coffee many years ago ( unrelated to no-s) by switching from cream to 1/2 and 1/2. Then to whole milk then to 2% milk. When I finally got to skim milk there just wasn't any reason to continue to use it so I quit all together.

Thank you Bluebell, for your encouragement for me to keep going! ❤️ Thank you SpiritSong for your comment too. I’d love to continue drinking milk in my coffee. I just don’t like it black, and I love my morning coffee so much. Thank you Virginia for your comment and advice as well. I truly have been thinking about what you wrote and how to implement it in my plan. I do exercise 7 days a week, but it’s just a 30 to 40 minute walk with the dog. Actually, I do this mainly because as you mentioned, it’s a great motivator and makes me feel good. Also, I just want to stay healthy. Walking has so many health benefits. Starting in January, I’ll be taking public transportation to bring my daughter across singapore so she can attend a special needs school (due to her moderate cerebral palsy.) Instead of taking a bus to get to the train (hour long train journey each way) I can walk. (Pushing her in the wheelchair.) Then walk again from the train to her school instead of taking another bus. All in all, it’s 4 walks per day (to and from the train both ways) that are 15 to 20 minutes each way. So that’s over an hour of walking not including walking the dog. I’ve been looking forward to that.

Truthfully, I need to do 3 things: 1. Put less amounts of dense food on my plate. 2. Stop drinking so many milky drinks between meals (I average 2-3 per day! Usually tea with milk or an iced latte with no sugar. I could use low fat or skim milk. I currently use whole. Half n half is almost nonexistent in Singapore. Starbucks doesn’t even have it.) 3. Just keep doing No S and don’t freak out over the slow weight loss.

Today (Monday) is not over, but I’m calling it a success because I don’t see myself failing today. I don’t fail often. My only concern is that I don’t get too frustrated at the slow loss and throw in the towel altogether. How sad that would be. I’ll be ok I think. I just need to figure out how to consume a few less calories and stay on plan no matter what._________________43 years old. 5’6”. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Current Weight: 228 (14 August 2018)
41 pounds lost so far
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

Yesterday (Tuesday) was a success. It started out ok, and I skipped breakfast as I do most days, but by noon, I had a migraine. I was expecting one to come any day as it’s that time of month I usually get one. But it was pretty discouraging. It just ruins your day. But it’s Wednesday now and it’s over, hopefully for another month. I did want to do some comfort eating but I didn’t. I stayed green. I ate 2 meals yesterday and that’s it. Also tried to go lighter on my drinks. Weight was the same this morning.

In the beginning, when I was losing so well, weighing every day was great. Now, not so much. Even though I’m very compliant, weight loss is so slow. That, despite the fact that I’m not even near “normal” BMI range (or even “overweight” range) and don’t ever expect to be. My N days are green and my S days are tame. So I’ve made a decision about the scale. I’m going to stop my daily weigh-ins after this week. They are just a way to wake up in the morning and start the day with bad news. I’m not giving up the scale altogether because that doesn’t work for me at all. But I’m going to weigh once a month instead. Or, more precisely, I’m going to weigh 5 days in a row one week out of the month and not worry about it between now and then. If this doesn’t work for me, I’ll change it.

Looking back over my log in the Happy Scale app, I have lost about 2 pounds in the past month. I guess I should be grateful I’ve lost anything. But I haven’t lost anything in 2 weeks. They weren’t good weeks-my daughter was sick, then I was sick, then PMS, then migraine. But I was green throughout. And seeing the scale go up or settle back down without anymore loss has just been getting to me. I’m not a very patient person. I’m hoping weighing less frequently will help me not stress so much about the stupid scale. I don’t want to become a person who obsesses about the scale._________________43 years old. 5’6”. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Current Weight: 228 (14 August 2018)
41 pounds lost so far
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

Yesterday (Wednesday) was a success. I had no breakfast, lunch around noon at my favourite vegetarian cafe that serves vegetarian versions of local favourites. Had an iced coffee around 3pm. Dinner was 2 breakfast burritos and salad. But I was full after eating only one breakfast burrito and the salad so I put the other burrito in the fridge for breakfast or lunch today.

Good scale news today. I’m down another half a pound. Finally. I’m going to weigh tomorrow and Saturday, but after that, I’m not going to weigh for a few weeks. Seeing my weight fluctuations was ok when I was down one or two pounds a week, but seeing the same number on the scale for 2 weeks straight is just not very fun. This is just an experiment. If I find my habits slipping as a result of not weighing every day, I’ll adjust. Maybe weigh every week on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Or something like that._________________43 years old. 5’6”. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Current Weight: 228 (14 August 2018)
41 pounds lost so far
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

It’s Saturday morning here. Yesterday was a success. I don’t always skip breakfast. Yesterday I ate breakfast around 11am. (That’s why I usually skip. I’m not hungry until then so I usually feel I can wait another hour two for lunch and just skip breakfast. ) Had egg salad sandwich and strawberries. Lunch was Chinese noodles and veggies. Dinner was corn soup and one breakfast burrito that consisted of eggs, cheese, sautéed mushrooms, lettuce and tomatoes.

I weighed roughly the same this morning. I’ll weigh again in a few weeks._________________43 years old. 5’6”. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Current Weight: 228 (14 August 2018)
41 pounds lost so far
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

Monday and Tuesday: small failures. Has a couple extra bites of this and that after dinner.
Wednesday and Thursday: success
So, I was tempted to step on the scale on Wednesday and it showed a loss, so I stepped on Thursday and Friday (today) as well, and yes, I have really started losing again. Down 3 pounds! 😃 So, i seem to have broken through that little plateau, without changing anything. Yay!!!!

Tomorrow is Saturday and I’m taking 2 visiting friends out for the day to try some of the culinary delights Singapore has to offer. Plan on having an epic S Day, haha. 😂 No, I’ll try to be reasonable. But I’m not going to worry about it. Can’t wait!_________________43 years old. 5’6”. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Current Weight: 228 (14 August 2018)
41 pounds lost so far
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

Hi, Crystal. Just dropping in. The idea of being able to go out to eat in Singapore sounds pretty good right now, even as I've been reading sources that recommend simplifying our meals and limiting our choices, at least at any one meal.

Hope you enjoy the experience before, during, and after you have it._________________Count plates, not calories. Three a day. 8 years & counting
Age 64
SBMI Jan/10-30.8
Jan/12-26.8
Mar/13-24.9 Stayed at +/- 8-lb. for three years Sept/17 22.8 (but more fluctuation)
Mar/18 22.2

Thanks, Oolala! I definitely did enjoy the experience. And I didn’t go overboard. Stuck mainly to lunch and dinner with an iced coffee in between. Oh yeah, and one small dessert. Everything was delicious.

Friday was a success. Saturday and Sunday were good. I *may* have eaten a little too many mint chocolates on Sunday. But whatever. 😂

It’s Monday night here and I’ve finished dinner. I don’t think I’ll be eating anything else so today was a success. Hope everyone had a nice weekend!_________________43 years old. 5’6”. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Current Weight: 228 (14 August 2018)
41 pounds lost so far
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

Tuesday: Well, this was either a failure or a Non-S Day event (not day) which I think I’ve taken maybe once since I started (restarted?) No S in July. I had lunch with a friend at a vegetarian cafe I’d never been to. They sell amazing vegetarian versions of local dishes. They also had gourmet ice cream sandwiches. Ice cream sandwiches are one of my favourite things in the whole world. They are also almost impossible to find in Singapore. These were a locally made ice cream sandwich-very high quality ice cream like Haagen Dazs. So, after much debate, I decided to go ahead. It was delicious and worth it. One of the best things I’ve eaten in a long time. I treated the rest of the day as an N day. I don’t keep a habitcal currently, so I don’t really know if I’d call that a red day or not. I tend to think Non-S Day S days should be decided upon in advance and not a spur of the moment decision just because I was tempted to eat something. But I didn’t feel any guilt at all, and I didn’t use it was an excuse to eat whatever I wanted the rest of the day. So all is good.

Thinking about all the delicious food I’ve eaten over the past 4 months or so since I started No S makes me feel so grateful for this way of eating. I’ve never eaten so well on any diet in my life. It’s amazing to me how enjoyable this way of eating is. Not only do I get to eat delicious food that is real food, I’m actually hungry when I eat, so the food automatically tastes that much better. And I am losing weight. I started out at 269 and I’m currently 242, so I guess that’s about 10 percent of my weight. Yes, the weight loss is slow, especially compared with other diets I’ve been on. But I was never able to enjoy the other diets. The way I ate was not sustainable and not enjoyable. I thought about food and the diet obsessively. On No S, I pretty much don’t think about diet at all. And I enjoy my meals so much. I feel so much healthier as well.

Another great thing is that my daily walks have become something I very much look forward to. If I can’t walk the dog for whatever reason (like rain) it’s not even a question of whether or not I’m going to do a YouTube workout. I just do. I think these workouts are good to throw in a couple times a week with the walking anyway because they focus on things that maybe just walking doesn’t. I definitely feel sore a day after a video workout. I used to have a lot of back pain, which is something I have occasionally struggled with all my life. I can definitely tell a difference with how my back feels. It’s so much better now. I think the daily walks as well as the stretching I do have helped with this. I’m sure losing 10 percent of my weight hasn’t hurt either._________________43 years old. 5’6”. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Current Weight: 228 (14 August 2018)
41 pounds lost so far
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

This is all such good news, and your weight loss is not slow at all on No S. In fact, it's rather stunning! I think most people don't lose that fast.

I agree with you that ideally, NWS days should be designated in advance. Otherwise, it will take precious decision currency from automaticity, as the brain would probably scan for opportunities to eat food that seems ''worth" eroding the habit. With what I know now about food seduction, believe me when I say it is wired for that._________________Count plates, not calories. Three a day. 8 years & counting
Age 64
SBMI Jan/10-30.8
Jan/12-26.8
Mar/13-24.9 Stayed at +/- 8-lb. for three years Sept/17 22.8 (but more fluctuation)
Mar/18 22.2

Thanks Oolala! I guess I was losing fast in the beginning, then it slowed way down, and I began to wonder if I’d keep losing just doing No S. I’ve never stuck to No S this long. And this is the only moderate eating plan I’ve ever attempted. My other temporarily successful weight loss efforts were on very strict diets that required tons of mental energy and included heavy doses of guilt and shame. (But the weight loss was fast-70 pounds off in 6-8 months.) This is pure freedom, especially compared with that. I guess I am just hoping I can continue to lose weight, albeit slowly, on something so moderate and enjoyable. And you know, I would think it would be much easier for me, at a starting weight of almost 270, to lose over 25 pounds in 4 plus months than for someone at a much lower weight. So I know not to expect this relatively fast weight loss to continue. I just have to make peace with the slowness of it. I probably won’t reach my extremely moderate goal weight of 190 for another year. Or longer. But we will see. At any rate, I have come to love this way of eating, weight loss or not. And I totally agree about NWS Days being planned in advance. If I was keeping a habitcal, I’d probably mark that as a red day.

Friday was a success. Saturday was a delicious S Day that included a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream on a waffle cone and a very big chocolate chip cookie from Starbucks. Haha, just remembered that at least one third of that cookie is still in my purse because I couldn’t finish it. Starbucks cookies are very big. 😂_________________43 years old. 5’6”. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Current Weight: 228 (14 August 2018)
41 pounds lost so far
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

Unfortunately, almost all people reach a standstill in weight loss, and it's rarely at as low a weight as they want. The body can do a lot to protect its fat stores and keep its set point. It thinks it's saving your life! Even if you were ever thin, having a higher weight for longer than a few months means that point has gone up, sad to say. And it's harder to maintain the new weight on the same amount of food as someone that's always been at that weight. Sigh.

Apparently, eating a lot less manufactured food can help lower set point.

But the other benefits are great, no?

I'd bet, though I haven't tested or examined it yet, that more exercise that includes some resistance sessions could alter that fat content of the body and result in a lower size because of greater leanness and let the set point adjust lower. It's a nice hypothesis. If only I could muster the will to find out!_________________Count plates, not calories. Three a day. 8 years & counting
Age 64
SBMI Jan/10-30.8
Jan/12-26.8
Mar/13-24.9 Stayed at +/- 8-lb. for three years Sept/17 22.8 (but more fluctuation)
Mar/18 22.2

I'd bet, though I haven't tested or examined it yet, that more exercise that includes some resistance sessions could alter that fat content of the body and result in a lower size because of greater leanness and let the set point adjust lower. It's a nice hypothesis. If only I could muster the will to find out!

I'm experimenting to see if resistance training works this way for me. So far I'm a little stronger, which is worth having._________________Three meals a day - not too little not too much, but just right

Lost another pound. Yay!! 😊_________________43 years old. 5’6”. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Current Weight: 228 (14 August 2018)
41 pounds lost so far
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

Thursday: Success
Friday: Success (with a large dinner-but it fit on one plate!)

I’m really looking forward to tomorrow. I’m going to the cinema, complete with popcorn and a soda._________________43 years old. 5’6”. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Current Weight: 228 (14 August 2018)
41 pounds lost so far
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

The weekend was good. I ate a few snacks here and there, and was never very hungry for meals. I did eat my meals anyway but did not enjoy them nearly as much as I do when I’m hungry. Being hungry for meals is one of the best things about No S._________________43 years old. 5’6”. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Current Weight: 228 (14 August 2018)
41 pounds lost so far
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

Tuesday: Fail. Was successful all day until just now (after dinner). My little girl wanted ice cream. I was feeding her so she wouldn’t make a mess (tired of cleaning messes all day!) and *somehow* 4 or 5 bites ended up in my mouth instead of hers. Oops. Well, I’m for sure done eating for the night and still need to walk the dog before bed._________________43 years old. 5’6”. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Current Weight: 228 (14 August 2018)
41 pounds lost so far
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

That was a small fail. Not using it as a reason to carry on eating is a win in my book!

I find that I do better when I allow myself a small 'dessert' after my meal - usually fruit with or without yoghurt, sometimes a few nuts, or a couple of dates. Sometimes it's a cup of hot cocoa in the evening. These things have all helped me stay on-habit._________________I love Everyday Systems :3

Thursday: Fail. Was successful all week until someone gave my husband a tiny pack of tiny homemade cookies. There were 5 dollar coin size chocolate chip cookies in the pack. I was giving them to my daughter, and just shrugged and ate 2 myself. They were tiny, but still. I don’t like that I barely hesitated before just eating them. That was about an hour after dinner. It’s crazy-I would not have gone rooting around the kitchen looking for a snack. I just don’t do that anymore. But when handed something tempting (homemade cookies are oh so tempting for me) I went ahead and ate them. Sigh. I need to make sure this doesn’t become a habit.

Friday: Success. Skipped breakfast so only had 2 meals and made sure they were healthy-ish and smallish.

So I rarely have fails. But I had 2 fails this week. But at least they were small and contained.

I did not lose or gain this week. Well, I’m down .2. Lol._________________43 years old. 5’6”. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Current Weight: 228 (14 August 2018)
41 pounds lost so far
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

Not to make excuses, but honestly, humans are opportunistic eaters! That's why it takes scarcity or cultural habits to keep people trim. You're still learning the "culture' and it can happen even years in to the veterans... _________________Count plates, not calories. Three a day. 8 years & counting
Age 64
SBMI Jan/10-30.8
Jan/12-26.8
Mar/13-24.9 Stayed at +/- 8-lb. for three years Sept/17 22.8 (but more fluctuation)
Mar/18 22.2

Haven’t felt like checking in for the rest of December, but January 1 is coming to a close in Singapore so I thought I’d better get back to it. I had a pretty successful week last week. Probably ate a bit too much on the weekend, but it was the weekend. I just considered today a normal day and made a success of it. I lost almost half a pound last week. So slowly but surely. I’m really looking forward to being 239 because that will mark 30 pounds down for me. 30 down, 50 to go, LOL. Wow, that sounds like so much when I write it out like that. Oh, well. What do they say about how to eat an elephant? One bite at a time. Probably not the best analogy coming from a vegetarian on a diet.

Just want to say that No S has been one of the highlights of 2017 for me. I’m so grateful for that awful moment in July in a hotel when I stepped on a scale for the first time in years and saw 269. As soon as I returned home, I started No S and haven’t looked back. Really looking forward to No S in 2018 and seeing how I feel/how I’m doing/what I weigh this time next year!_________________43 years old. 5’6”. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Current Weight: 228 (14 August 2018)
41 pounds lost so far
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

What do they say about how to eat an elephant? One bite at a time. Probably not the best analogy coming from a vegetarian on a diet.

Ha! This cracked me up!

Great year, and I hope you continue to do well in 2018!_________________Homeschool Mom and No S returnee as of 11-30-15.
2 years and counting on No-S.
29 lbs. down, 34 to go. Slow and steady wins the race.
Respect Moderation

Thank you so much for the kind words automatedeating and Merry!! I hope you both have a fantastic 2018 as well!

Tuesday is coming to a close. It was a success. Really glad the holidays are over and life is back to normal.

I lost another pound. Weight is a funny thing. I can be plugging along at the same weight for 2-3 weeks, then lose 2-3 lbs in a week. Then back to maintaining. It is all averaging out to about half a pound a week._________________43 years old. 5’6”. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Current Weight: 228 (14 August 2018)
41 pounds lost so far
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

Sometimes the scale feedback can be sobering and useful. I'm glad you didn't use it to run to food, as paradoxically that often happens.

There are all kinds of reasons weight loss doesn't often proceed in a linear or truly predictable way. That's why days on habit it such a great metric.

Besides, it's very hard to know how to alter something for better results until there's a very strong baseline.

Happy New Year and see you later._________________Count plates, not calories. Three a day. 8 years & counting
Age 64
SBMI Jan/10-30.8
Jan/12-26.8
Mar/13-24.9 Stayed at +/- 8-lb. for three years Sept/17 22.8 (but more fluctuation)
Mar/18 22.2

Thank you Oolala! I hope you have a wonderful 2018 as well. I always appreciate your kindness, straightforwardness, and words of wisdom.

I’ve decided to change this to a weekly check-in. I’m not very good about checking in daily and I’ve got a lot on my plate with my daughter just starting school at a special needs school. On public transport, it takes about 2 hours each way. But there’s a lot of walking involved too, which I’m happy about.

I have been really busy and I pack a small lunch with me when I take my daughter to school. I eat dinner, but have so many chores in the evening I don’t have time to think about food after dinner. I’ve been pretty hungry this past week, but I don’t mind hunger like i used to. But I was also on my period so the scale actually showed a 3 pound gain. Ugh. Definitely feeling the hate part of my like/hate relationship with the scale this week._________________43 years old. 5’6”. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Current Weight: 228 (14 August 2018)
41 pounds lost so far
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

I'm humbled thinking about how demanding your schedule is. Hope your daughter likes and makes progress at her school, esp. with the commute.

I think it's actually an advantage not to have time to think about food much. If you feel you aren't eating very smartly, you can take a look at that and make plans for how to make it easier to have other stuff ready later. It's a lot to expect to have timing and content all figured out at the same time. That's what diets try to do for us; it doesn't work much except in the guru's book.

And don't worry about checking in every day here. It might be good to keep SOMETHING like habitcal somewhere easy to see. Habit theory says that alone makes a difference._________________Count plates, not calories. Three a day. 8 years & counting
Age 64
SBMI Jan/10-30.8
Jan/12-26.8
Mar/13-24.9 Stayed at +/- 8-lb. for three years Sept/17 22.8 (but more fluctuation)
Mar/18 22.2

So, starting from where I left off last week:
Monday: Success
Tuesday: Success
Wednesday: Success
Thursday: Success
Friday: Fail. Success all day, but by the evening, after dinner, I had a glass of wine which somehow led to 4 small cookies. I’m usually not tempted, but I was tired after a long week and after the glass of wine, I just didn’t seem to have the will to resist.
Saturday and Sunday: S Days in which I ate quite a bit.
Monday: Success

So, I’ve finally just about made the 30 pound loss mark. I weighed 239.4 today. According to my Happy Scale app, I’ve lost 29.6 pounds total, but only 9.6 pounds in the last 90 days. So round that up to 10 pounds lost in 3 months. The first 3 months I lost 20 pounds for that 3 months. But it’s slowed way way down, as expected. Even though my habits have stayed strong. But as long as it’s going down even a little bit, I’m ok. The app said I have lost 1 pound in the past 7 days. The couple weeks before that I lost .2 pounds per week or nothing. In 30 days, it says I’ve lost 2.4 pounds. On previous diets, I was consistently losing that in one week, every week. But those diets were not sustainable. I find this interesting because I’ve never lost weight like this before...so slowly but surely. I’m really glad I had an initial fast weight loss or I would’ve had a hard time sticking with Vanilla and not making it much stricter so the weight would come off faster. Or giving up altogether in defeat with the idea that, “See? Nothing works. I cannot lose weight.” Turns out I CAN lose weight, and eat like a normal person without cutting out carbs or counting calories. It’s just that it’s WAY slower and much more of an exercise in patience than I ever thought it would be. But it is absolutely wonderful eating this way. I feel like an entirely different person around food. It’s weird that it’s likely going to take a couple years to get to my “ideal” weight, whatever that is, but as so many have said before, that time is going to pass whether I do No S or not. And this is really the way I want to eat forever. I have never said that about any diet I have ever been on before._________________43 years old. 5’6”. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Current Weight: 228 (14 August 2018)
41 pounds lost so far
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

I just LOVE your above post!!! You are such an encouragement to me!! Patience. That’s what I need. I have a huge amount of weight to lose, but as you said, the time is going to pass anyway. We might as well not be miserable along the way! And once you do make goal, you’re already following the maintenance plan!!!_________________Military wife and homeschool mom of two boys, 11 and 6
Committed to No-S, period!
SW 10/11/18: 239

Turns out I CAN lose weight, and eat like a normal person without cutting out carbs or counting calories. It’s just that it’s WAY slower and much more of an exercise in patience than I ever thought it would be. But it is absolutely wonderful eating this way. I feel like an entirely different person around food. It’s weird that it’s likely going to take a couple years to get to my “ideal” weight, whatever that is, but as so many have said before, that time is going to pass whether I do No S or not. And this is really the way I want to eat forever. I have never said that about any diet I have ever been on before.

Congratulations and thank you for inspiring us all to have some patience and to enjoy the process. You are doing great!_________________I'm a 49-year-old mom and non-profit CEO
I am 5' 7.5"
Began No S at 184#, BMI 28.4 - 9/25/2017
Current weight 168#, BMI 25.9- 11/18/2018

A few weeks ago, a friend was asking me a few questions about my eating in such a way that I could tell she thought it was a diet thing, something I was doing and not living. Even though she has known me the whole time! She's seen my drop and maintenance, but she somehow has the idea that it's because of some things I did temporarily. There's a small amount of truth to that, but the backbone is what has made everything possible. But, I told her, this is the way I'm eating forever, with small adjustments as needed for activities, aging, etc. I'm never consistently going back to more frequent eating/S's. At least, I'm not sitting around waiting to.

BTW. she texted asking for my opinion about two books: Younger Next Year which I have no problem with because it pushes exercise and NOT trying to lose weight, but just cutting out manufactured food. (Yeah, cutting out. I always snort when that's recommended. As Reinhard has said, that kind of rule ignores the foundations of human psychology.) The second was one of the Jorge Cruise franchise. I told her IMHO, avoid all 58,000 traditional diet books on Amazon. (She actually did The South Beach diet in this interim. I felt scared for her because I know the odds, and they seem to me to have come to pass. Weight gain after two years. Hers has gone up even more since then.)

However, I don't think junk food is her issue. I think she may be in a bit of denial about whether she's overeating or not. She never had to think about her eating when she was young. She ate quite a lot of food, but not junk. Anyway, 'm a little nervous about her asking because I would actually love having a close ally in my actual social circle and I know I can't be quite as nonchalant about whether she accepts or not. If her interest fades, it will feel a little more personal._________________Count plates, not calories. Three a day. 8 years & counting
Age 64
SBMI Jan/10-30.8
Jan/12-26.8
Mar/13-24.9 Stayed at +/- 8-lb. for three years Sept/17 22.8 (but more fluctuation)
Mar/18 22.2

Wow, you guys! Thank you so much for such lovely, kind words. Thank you tobiasmom, Amy3010, Jenji, Octavia and Oolala. ❤️

By the way, Oolala-I’ve loved reading about your decluttering efforts via the KonMari method. I’m a bit of a minimalist myself. I think minimalism has a lot in common with No S. Not owning lots of stuff frees up so much time to do and think about other things. The time I spend cleaning and picking up the house has drastically reduced since getting rid of so much stuff. I’ve always been a bit of a minimalist, but I’ve made more efforts toward this in the past few years. Stuff has a way of creeping into my life and house even if I don’t buy it though, so it’s a work in progress. I have to work to maintain it, but it’s way less work than it would be if I was constantly trying to clean and organize a bunch of stuff. I’m not an extreme minimalist with only one suitcase full of stuff (though that lifestyle appeals to me). But I do own much less than the average person. For example, my wardrobe consists of less than 30 items (not including undergarments), we each have 2 towels each, one sheet for the bed. I own 2 pairs of shoes, one pair of earrings. You get the idea. It did take me years to get to this point. I’m definitely NOT at maintenance when it comes to my weight, but I am at minimalism. It’s still a work in progress, though, just as my weight will always be a work in progress. I’ve never actually read Marie Kondo’s book, but I’m kind of familiar with her method. I think it definitely has value, but I don’t really like the idea of keeping or discarding items based on the “Does it spark joy?” question. I don’t know-i don’t really like the whole idea of joy coming from material things. I keep things mainly because they serve a purpose in my life, but I hope my real joy comes from inside myself, from other people in my life and from my faith. But take that with a grain of salt because I haven’t even read the book! 😂 Sorry, I could go on about this topic forever. I should have left this on your thread.

My period started a week early so lots of stupid weight fluctuations in the upward direction. PMS and periods are a real pain when it comes to dieting for many reasons._________________43 years old. 5’6”. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Current Weight: 228 (14 August 2018)
41 pounds lost so far
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

Just for clarity, I don't use the Konmari method. It's a mishmash of Flylady, a teeny bit of KM, and lots of me. I got stalled by getting caught up in wanting to have a chance to offer things in my neighborhood (I've gotten some useful stuff for free. Want to make the gesture).

I have to tell you, when I read that you have TWO pairs of shoes, it was as close as spraying a beverage out of my mouth in astonishment as I've ever come. No hiking boots? Athletic shoes? Sandals for summer? Cleaning/gardening shoes? I bow to you.

The "garage" stuff and the PAPERS are a higher priority for me now, but when I"m done, I'm going to reward myself with the book, The Tidy Closet. I wish my library had a copy, as it might be a little too chic for my needs. In SoCal, some people might be misled! In the meantime, I am determined to actually wear some of my "work" clothes when I got out instead of the chronic cazh that it is the norm almost everywhere.

If I may, I humbly suggest that you think of eating maintenance rather than weight maintenance. And maybe minimalist (only daily needs and a little kick for celebration) for eating down the line. That way, feminine fluctuations will not be so ego-bruising. They are meaningless in the habit formation, which is where the real goodies are.

I promise I'll keep working on my material stuff in parallel with you and No S stuff. Actually, by the standards of most of the general population of my age cohort, my digs are quite simple. I was going to say "pretty" simple, but honestly, there's not a lot of pretty things. (Been working on assets that make money rather than decor, though that's not always successful. ) I'll work on a little bit of pretty when I clear the space.)_________________Count plates, not calories. Three a day. 8 years & counting
Age 64
SBMI Jan/10-30.8
Jan/12-26.8
Mar/13-24.9 Stayed at +/- 8-lb. for three years Sept/17 22.8 (but more fluctuation)
Mar/18 22.2

Monday: Success
Tuesday: Success
Wednesday: Success
Thursday: Success
Friday: Fail. Did great all day, but by the time i got home from the 2 hour commute (train and walking, pushing my daughter in her wheelchair) from my daughter’s school, I was feeling tired and frazzled. It’s been raining a lot here, and pushing a wheelchair in the rain is not fun. We have umbrellas and rain panchos, but it’s still a hassle. Plus, the hour long ride home on the train at peak hour is tiring by Friday. I’m using that frazzled feeling as an excuse to eat a couple small cookies after dinner. Like, I just want to sit on the couch, eat cookies and watch tv. I do stop after 2 or 3, but I really don’t want this to become a habit. I need to figure out another way to wind down. Honestly, just a hot cup of milky tea would probably do the trick.
Saturday: S Day
Sunday: S Day
Monday (this week): Success
Tuesday: Success

Another thing: I think I’m drinking too many caloric drinks between meals. I don’t drink soda but I do order iced lattes from places like McDonald’s when I’m passing the time while my daughter is in school. That would be ok, if it was just one, but sometimes I buy a bottle of sweet tea in addition to that a couple hours later. When I’m at home, I don’t drink sugar in my tea or coffee. But sweet iced lattes and sweet tea sure are delicious when I’m away from home! I need to figure out a workable solution to this.

I lost 2.2 pounds this past week.

Oolala, I know you are so right about thinking in terms of habit maintenance instead of weight maintenance. I hope I’ll get there in my thinking one day!! I think I’m getting better at least. I used to panic when the scale would stall out for a few weeks. Now I take those numbers more in stride._________________43 years old. 5’6”. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Current Weight: 228 (14 August 2018)
41 pounds lost so far
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

Thanks for the response re:shoes. Still impressive. So is losing 30 lbs.!

When the time comes, you may be willing to cut back on the lattes and sweet teas. Officially, coffee and tea between meals are supposed to have just a spoonful of sugar or so. The commercial ones would likely be considered sweets, but wean yourself as you can. I myself have always been on the side of doing the least needed to get some of the change wanted. Then there's always room for more adjustments, if wanted or needed, when they seem less wrenching. Even my decaf mochas or lattes were not really canonical, as I use[d] stevia that sweetens more than a couple of teaspoons of sugar would. I'm rebounding on that habit now for awhile as I get used to having more free time in the day. I'm going to start counting it as a fail even though I'm not claiming to stop the habit again. Gearing up.

You sure have your work cut out for you. I think it's an advantage to have exercise be so functional in your life, but it doesn't make it easy. (I'm reminded of an interviewer once asking Reinhard why he walked to work. He said it was because his boss would fire him if he didn't show up. ) Would that we all had such a rational way of making our choices._________________Count plates, not calories. Three a day. 8 years & counting
Age 64
SBMI Jan/10-30.8
Jan/12-26.8
Mar/13-24.9 Stayed at +/- 8-lb. for three years Sept/17 22.8 (but more fluctuation)
Mar/18 22.2

It’s been a couple weeks since I checked in I think. In the past 2 weeks (or however long it’s been since I checked in) I’ve been mostly successful with 2 failures. Failure #1: I ate 2 bites of a piece of cake my daughter didn’t finish before throwing it away. Failure #2: Another “I’m frazzled, it’s Friday night and I don’t care” failure. I ate 1 and a half packs of single serving m&ms. Sigh. It wasn’t a huge deal, but I don’t like that I am repeatedly failing on Friday night. I seriously need to figure out a solution to this problem.

I lost another 1.4 pounds since my last check-in. I think my weight loss has picked up again since I’ve greatly increased my walking. I walk a minimum of one hour a day now (in 15 to 20 minute increments just getting where I need to go instead of taking the bus.) Often, it’s more like 1.5 hours per day, and once or twice a week, it’s 2 hours per day. But it doesn’t feel like I’m exercising because it’s just short walking periods and it’s done with a purpose-it gets me where I need to go._________________43 years old. 5’6”. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Current Weight: 228 (14 August 2018)
41 pounds lost so far
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

I don't know your thoughts on weighing, but I do my weekly weigh-in on Saturday morning before breakfast. That usually eliminates Friday night fails, because I'm curious about how much weight I've lost during the week and I don't want to miss the weigh-in or falsify it with Friday binges. I track my weight week to week, and am very diligent about it. Being a data junkie sometimes helps!

Not that you asked but something that helped me get over wanting Friday Freedom was making a Bisquick biscuit- yes, just one!- and topping it with strawberries fresh or frozen, and plain yogurt with a whiff of stevia. I would have that at lunch or dinner, and it felt like I was looking forward to something almost wicked even though it was completely canonical. But I saved it for Friday.

So maybe you can have something like that, if you don't already.

You are doing so well! I think you see the Friday thing in perspective._________________Count plates, not calories. Three a day. 8 years & counting
Age 64
SBMI Jan/10-30.8
Jan/12-26.8
Mar/13-24.9 Stayed at +/- 8-lb. for three years Sept/17 22.8 (but more fluctuation)
Mar/18 22.2

Hello to anyone reading this. It’s been about 6 weeks since I last checked in. I’ve just been busy, but still doing No S. However, I’ve had a little set-back the past couple weeks. Actually, I haven’t stopped doing No S at all, so it isn’t a set-back in that sense. I’ve just inexplicably started gaining weight. My lowest a couple weeks ago was 233. A couple days later, I jumped 3 or 4 pounds and have been consistently 235-237 ever since. I usually don’t pay attention to weight gain at first because I know weight fluctuates. But 2 weeks later, this seems like a true gain. And I don’t know why. I’ve stuck to No S. I haven’t been perfect, for sure. But I also haven’t done anything to warrant a 4 pound gain.

I’ve found this pretty discouraging, but I’m not giving up. I’m going to try doing a 21 day challenge and really be strict about it. It’s Saturday morning here, so I’ll start the 21 day challenge on Monday. What I’ll do everyday:
1. Strict No S. No extra bites or tiny in-between bites that “don’t count”. No more than 1 milky drink per day (besides my morning coffee).
2. As much as I dislike the thought of checking in every day, for as long as it takes me to get to a perfect 21 day streak, l will check in here. I think I really need to do this for accountability. Again, I don’t really like the thought of this, but I’ll post what I eat every day as well.
3. I will not weigh myself during the 21 days. This will be hard for me. But I really want to focus on building habit and not on what the scale says.

I think I may be going through early menopause and wonder if that has something to do with the weight gain. I haven’t had a period in 3 months, and they have been getting more and more infrequent and irregular over the past year. They never were before. I’m only just turning 43, but I guess it can happen. I don’t know what effect menopause has on weight, but I suspect it’s not good.

Lastly, I just want to say that besides what the scale says, I feel really good. I was looking at some photos of myself from this time last year, and I look (and feel) so much better these days. I’ve always been a big person, so I know I will not lose enough weight to be “thin” on No S. But I was really happy to slowly lose enough to look and feel better. I want to nip this weight gain in the bud so I can continue on my slow but steady downward path. If my weight loss had just stalled out, I wouldn’t be so concerned, but I don’t understand the gain. I’m just trying to view this as an opportunity to strengthen my habits, and get a lot stricter with myself.

I hope everyone is doing really, really well. ♥️_________________43 years old. 5’6”. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Current Weight: 228 (14 August 2018)
41 pounds lost so far
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

Hey, good luck and thanks for sharing where you are at. I have a couple thoughts to share after reading your post:
1. 4 pounds doesn't seem like much, actually. Bummer that it's happening, but the 233 might have been the odd-ball measurement, not the 237. Ha, well maybe.
2. Maybe checking in daily will start to be more fun. I look forward to purging my diarrhea-stream of consciousness on this forum. So I'm all for your everyday check-in for 21 days (and beyond?)
3. Excellent that you are otherwise feeling good! Yay!

Take care, good luck, and see you on the boards!_________________Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3; 8/14-24.5; 5/15-26.2; 1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6; 8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9; 3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18 - 23.8

I can imagine feeling disheartened. I know when you'd like to lose, a 4-lb gain can feel like a lot. I'd hate to suggest anything you're already doing, and you have a plan, so nothing else to do but move forward. Too many variables will muddy the results anyway.

I can't remember any weight gain after menopause that couldn't be explained by my eating. And I've lost all of my weight since then. But who knows?

I'm glad you value feeling better and that NO S has been the source. You deserve that!

I will say that you might consider the first week just checking in to say success or not without recording your food just to ease yourself in to the habit. That in itself might be enough to influence what/how much goes on your plate, and if it does, you'll probably recognize it. You can always add recording as the 21 days go on._________________Count plates, not calories. Three a day. 8 years & counting
Age 64
SBMI Jan/10-30.8
Jan/12-26.8
Mar/13-24.9 Stayed at +/- 8-lb. for three years Sept/17 22.8 (but more fluctuation)
Mar/18 22.2

Thank you so much automatedeating, Octavia and Oolala!! Really appreciate your support and suggestions. As much as I don’t really love checking in, it seems to help me stay on track. And knowing I “have” to record what I eat for the next few weeks helped me make slightly better choices yesterday, haha._________________43 years old. 5’6”. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Current Weight: 228 (14 August 2018)
41 pounds lost so far
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

Thoughts: I had 8 hours between lunch and dinner and I was ravenous. It was too long, but it couldn’t be helped yesterday. I resisted the urge to take bites while cooking and plating the food for myself and my family though. I bought some peppermint tea to have after dinner instead of a milky drink, but I was so tired I just went to bed after cleaning up and getting ready for the next day. I think the peppermint tea will help me not have so many milky drinks though. At least when i am home._________________43 years old. 5’6”. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Current Weight: 228 (14 August 2018)
41 pounds lost so far
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

Wow, that was a long gap! And then not nibbling as you made dinner! That's exercising your resistance muscle. Awesome. You know, you could have had the peppermint tea then._________________Count plates, not calories. Three a day. 8 years & counting
Age 64
SBMI Jan/10-30.8
Jan/12-26.8
Mar/13-24.9 Stayed at +/- 8-lb. for three years Sept/17 22.8 (but more fluctuation)
Mar/18 22.2

Oh, my goodness, Oolala, that is a great idea! That’s a great way to stop the nibbling while preparing dinner. Thank you-I will definitely do that next time. It’s hot here (all the time) and I’m usually sweating while making dinner (life in the tropics involves a lot of sweat, haha) but I could keep a cold pitcher of peppermint tea in the fridge and have an ice tea while I cook. Sounds delicious. I’ll make some tonight for the fridge._________________43 years old. 5’6”. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Current Weight: 228 (14 August 2018)
41 pounds lost so far
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

Thoughts: Yesterday was easier than Monday as far as hunger goes. I only had a 6 hour gap between lunch and dinner as opposed to an 8 hour gap. All the walking was due to my usual 1 hour plus walking taking my daughter to school via train and Bus number 11, which is what they call walking here. 😉 On rainy days, I have to take an actual bus instead of using my 2 legs. In addition to that, I went the the beach after I dropped my daughter off at school and walked around there for awhile, plus walked the dog last night. Singapore is a wonderful place to Urban Ranger if you don’t factor in the heat and humidity. It’s super safe, clean and green, and there are sidewalks and covered walkways everywhere. And even though it’s a city, it gives literal meaning to the term urban jungle. Besides the trees, trees and more trees, there’s also a lot of wildlife. Since I’ve been walking more, I’ve seen birds of all feathers including a great hornbil, as well as monitor lizards that vary in size from a cat to a very large dog. They are only smaller than the Komodo dragon, which I think is a cousin of the monitor lizard. I’ve even seen a couple monkeys, although that’s rare. Lots of wild chickens and their hatchlings by the beach. I have friends who’ve seen otters, but I haven’t yet seen any myself. Everyone here walks a lot, even the very elderly. When you don’t own a car, there’s really no choice unless you are rich and can take taxis everywhere. Even taking the train or bus requires some walking. When I first moved here, I was surprised how fit a lot of the elderly are here, up into their 80s and beyond. I think it’s in part due to staying active out of necessity. They also do a lot of tai chi and the like.

Hope everyone has a great Wednesday!_________________43 years old. 5’6”. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Current Weight: 228 (14 August 2018)
41 pounds lost so far
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

I might get derailed at least some by the heat and humidity, though I'd hope Id' get acclimated. I did about 6 weeks of travel in Bali in the summer of 2001, with a stopover in Hong Kong. I loved being there and having so much to walk and look at, but I drooped in a much shorter time than usual. I got sweetly refreshed visiting a mountain town in Bali, but it was influenced by a religion that had me leave a day early. Back to leaving the hotel dry and having my thighs sweaty 20 minutes later. It didn't help that I was a lot heavier but I feel the heat now, too. Maybe I'll have a chance to test it out after I retire._________________Count plates, not calories. Three a day. 8 years & counting
Age 64
SBMI Jan/10-30.8
Jan/12-26.8
Mar/13-24.9 Stayed at +/- 8-lb. for three years Sept/17 22.8 (but more fluctuation)
Mar/18 22.2

Oolala, that’s really cool that you’ve traveled to Bali. Did I read on your thread that you lived in Iran for a time? That must have been something. I’ll admit I’m a bit of a chicken about traveling to the Middle East. I’ve been to Indonesia, but it was Jakarta, so a far cry from Bali. I’d love to go there, and I know I should make the effort since I’m so close. But yes, I would guess that Bali and Singapore have very similar climates. And yes, you sweat while doing nothing. 😂 I used to think I was a person who never sweats until I moved here. Thank goodness air conditioning is everywhere. Have a wonderful day, or evening, I guess it would be in the US. Oh, and the skinny locals sweat just as much. 😂_________________43 years old. 5’6”. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Current Weight: 228 (14 August 2018)
41 pounds lost so far
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

Thoughts: Ok, a lot of strange sounding food. I’ll start with the pb and pickle sandwich. I’m a huge Sue Grafton fan (RIP Sue 😢). She wrote the best mystery series, IMO, with the best female PI ever, Kinsey Millhone. (A is for Alibi, B is for Burglar and so on until Y is for Yesterdsy. She died before she finished the series at Z. 😢). I’ve read the books since I was 17. Kinsey loved peanut butter and pickle sandwiches. I’d never tried one until yesterday. It was amazing. Can’t believe I lived my whole life without trying that. I packed one again for today’s lunch. Used bread and butter pickles, which Sue Grafton recommended. 😉

Monkey head mushroom: awful name for a mushroom, but so very delicious. This dish has some sort of mustard curry sauce that is so good it’s like crack, I swear. I couldn’t stop eating it even though I was full. It did fit on one plate. 😉_________________43 years old. 5’6”. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Current Weight: 228 (14 August 2018)
41 pounds lost so far
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

I didn't go to Jakarta because all I had heard about Indonesia when I traveled in India in the late 70's was Bali Bali Bali. I will say from listening to other travelers that it would be worth it for you to push to come to Bali. If things haven't changed permanently after the bombing way back when, it's a whole different feel from the rest of Indonesia. I don't want to offend anyone but the Hindu influence is very different from the Muslim one, at least in my experience, though I may be biased (I had my tough times in Iran.) But I was always a free bird there; never had to plan for anyone else but me.

Although I don't like pickles, PB and pickles sounds reasonable to me, given that other cultures use PB in savory dishes._________________Count plates, not calories. Three a day. 8 years & counting
Age 64
SBMI Jan/10-30.8
Jan/12-26.8
Mar/13-24.9 Stayed at +/- 8-lb. for three years Sept/17 22.8 (but more fluctuation)
Mar/18 22.2

Thoughts: Ok, a lot of strange sounding food. I’ll start with the pb and pickle sandwich. I’m a huge Sue Grafton fan (RIP Sue 😢). She wrote the best mystery series, IMO, with the best female PI ever, Kinsey Millhone. (A is for Alibi, B is for Burglar and so on until Y is for Yesterdsy. She died before she finished the series at Z. 😢). I’ve read the books since I was 17. Kinsey loved peanut butter and pickle sandwiches. I’d never tried one until yesterday. It was amazing. Can’t believe I lived my whole life without trying that. I packed one again for today’s lunch. Used bread and butter pickles, which Sue Grafton recommended. 😉

What a lovely story !!
I am an inveterate reader, but I have not yet read Sue Grafton, from now on I promise to do it

Dalia negra - If you love to read, and especially mysteries, you should totally give them a try. Start with A, but I do think the series gets better as it goes on. The entire series is set in the 1980’s, so Kinsey has to use a lot of ingenuity to solve the cases - no internet, no cell phones. The books are full of lovable, interesting characters. Although I love well written mysteries, and listen to way too many true crime podcasts to admit, a lot of the more modern mystery series just didn’t do it for me. A lot of them seem to insult your intelligence, or the writing/characters is just silly. Any recommendations?

I’ll be back soon to post about yesterday’s No S._________________43 years old. 5’6”. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Current Weight: 228 (14 August 2018)
41 pounds lost so far
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

Thoughts: Things I like about McDonald’s: The air con, the iced lattes, the French fries (which are actually vegan in Singapore, not so in most countries, or at least that’s what I’ve read.) Things I dislike about McDonald’s: pretty much everything else. However, McDonald’s is really convenient and everywhere in Singapore. And my kid loves it, of course. (That dang toy!!) On Thursdays, i go directly from school to a Bible meeting, and we eat at McDonald’s bc it’s the only place to eat nearby. I’m truly sick of Veggie Crunch burgers, but I’m glad they at least have a vegetarian option. That said, I think I have to eat there again today bc on Fridays, I take my daughter swimming before school (it’s really just water play-great physical therapy) and if I want to get her to school on time, McDonald’s is my only hope. Her school starts at 12:30 pm.

I’m not a soda drinker, but I could drink tons of it in my twenties. I think the Diet Coke made me feel super bloated and gross last night and even this morning. Note to self: Drink the iced green tea, even if it does have a lot of sugar.

Have a wonderful day everyone! 🌸_________________43 years old. 5’6”. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Current Weight: 228 (14 August 2018)
41 pounds lost so far
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

Dalia negra - If you love to read, and especially mysteries, you should totally give them a try. Start with A, but I do think the series gets better as it goes on. The entire series is set in the 1980’s, so Kinsey has to use a lot of ingenuity to solve the cases - no internet, no cell phones. The books are full of lovable, interesting characters. Although I love well written mysteries, and listen to way too many true crime podcasts to admit, a lot of the more modern mystery series just didn’t do it for me. A lot of them seem to insult your intelligence, or the writing/characters is just silly. Any recommendations?

Yes, I love mystery literature ... it's my favorite, in fact !!

If you like Nordic literature I can recommend you to Henning Mankell and Jo Nesbo, although you probably already know them.

On the other hand, I love Michael Connolly, his theme is of mystery, but with supernatural touches.

And finally, two authors that I love, Gillian Flynn and Tana French. The latter has a saga about the Irish police in which the protagonist of each novel is a different policeman. She is a somewhat irregular author, but she has very good books

Thoughts: I’ve really enjoyed being very strict this week, although it was not easy at times. I think this week has shown me that I haven’t been as strict lately as I was in the beginning. I think I needed this challenge to get back on track. There have been a few times this week that I wanted to just fail and who cares, but the thought of resetting my 21 Day Challenge to day 1 made me stop._________________43 years old. 5’6”. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Current Weight: 228 (14 August 2018)
41 pounds lost so far
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

What is it about 21? Who cares? If it helps to pave the way to those stronger PFC connections, vive 21!_________________Count plates, not calories. Three a day. 8 years & counting
Age 64
SBMI Jan/10-30.8
Jan/12-26.8
Mar/13-24.9 Stayed at +/- 8-lb. for three years Sept/17 22.8 (but more fluctuation)
Mar/18 22.2

Thank you, Saprano and Oolala. 😊 Haha about the 21 Days. I’ve actually read that doing something for 21 Days doesn’t actually make it a habit. I don’t know which is true. It seems like an arbitrary number to me. But I decided to go for it just to kind of give myself a challenge. I do better when I have goals. I used to be really big on weight goals. I’d live or die by the number on the scale. Setting unattainable (for me) weight goals derailed many diets. No matter what I did, I couldn’t get below maybe 175, which despite being “overweight” was perfectly healthy and fine for me. But I was convinced it wasn’t and gave up all together. I can truly see the wisdom now in focusing on days on habit rather than a weight goal._________________43 years old. 5’6”. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Current Weight: 228 (14 August 2018)
41 pounds lost so far
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

Thoughts: I splurged on a loaf of really great whole meal bread from a bakery yesterday. It was 6 bucks a loaf. It tasted amazing, like the homemade loaves my mom used to make. I wish I could afford to buy that bread often. Failing that, I wish I could learn to make bread myself._________________43 years old. 5’6”. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Current Weight: 228 (14 August 2018)
41 pounds lost so far
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

Thoughts: I splurged on a loaf of really great whole meal bread from a bakery yesterday. It was 6 bucks a loaf. It tasted amazing, like the homemade loaves my mom used to make. I wish I could afford to buy that bread often. Failing that, I wish I could learn to make bread myself.

Baking bread isn't difficult, I kind of cheat and use a bread machine but just find a recipe and dive in

Jx_________________Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.

Hi Soprano. That’s true about the bread machine. I’ve often thought about getting one and trying. I’m a minimalist so I would really have to justify owning that. If I really came to love it and use it often, it would be worth the space it takes up. When I have some time, I’ll check out the secondhand shop. I think it’s the kind of item people buy and some end up not using. Actually, I could kick myself because one of my husband’s students (he teaches English to adults) wanted to give me hers bc she never uses it and I turned it down bc I was on a “get rid of everything” kick. 😂_________________43 years old. 5’6”. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Current Weight: 228 (14 August 2018)
41 pounds lost so far
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

Lunch: cheese and pickle sandwich on more of that amazing loaf of bread, chips, 2 dried figs, iced lemon tea

3pm: Starbucks latte, no sugar

Dinner: Nasi Lemak, iced lemon tea.

Urban Ranger: 1 hour and 45 minutes

Thoughts: Nasi Lemak is a local dish that consists of coconut rice, chili paste, fried or hard boiled egg, dried anchovies, peanuts and cucumber. The vegetarian version I ate at my favorite cafe had fake anchovies made of flour (haha) and no blachan (fermented shrimp paste=yuck!) in the chili. It also came with a piece of fake fish. Nasi Lemak is a must try (or as they say here, “die die must try”) dish for anyone visiting Singapore or Malaysia.

I saw 2 large turtles swimming around in the canal I walked past. Still looking out for otters but haven’t spotted any yet.

Writing down all my food has forced me to face the fact that I eat a lot of high calorie food. I eat real butter, whole milk, mayo, creamy and fatty dishes. When I eat salad, I use real salad dressing. I eat lots of bread and rice. (But so do all the thin locals so whatever.) This was all well and good when I was losing weight, but I’m starting to think I may need to rethink some of my food choices. 😢 My portion sizes seem reasonable, and I’m very hungry a couple hours between meals. So I may need to look at what is on my plate. ☹️

My iced lemon teas had sugar. I know sugar in drinks is allowed, but I really need to work on not having a sugary drink (or 2) every day._________________43 years old. 5’6”. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Current Weight: 228 (14 August 2018)
41 pounds lost so far
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

Hi Soprano. Can you say more about that? Do you mean using natural, whole ingredients? I do try my best to do that. For example, I make my own salad dressing and rarely eat anything from a package. Except maybe my potato chips, haha. Which I have considered trying to swap with something healthier like a piece of fruit. Of course, things like jam, peanut butter, and pickles- these are all store bought. I know some people make their own, but I’m not interested in doing that. I try to buy the items (like jam) with the most natural, fewest ingredients. When I eat rice at home, it’s brown. Just to name a few examples. I just think the food I’m choosing is really calorie dense. Like, i could eat a baked potato, but to be honest, I’m not going to enjoy it dry, without butter, KWIM? And I definitely will not substitute some low calorie fake butter spread of chemicals. There are probably healthier options I could pack for my lunch every day than sandwiches, but I’m on a tight schedule and tight budget. Most people here grab lunch at the hawker stalls so I’ve felt I do better than that by at least packing my lunch every day. But I’d love to hear more about what you mean. I’m really open to changing things up if possible. Thanks for the suggestion!_________________43 years old. 5’6”. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Current Weight: 228 (14 August 2018)
41 pounds lost so far
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

Yes, that’s very helpful! Kind of like how I’d like to replace my chips with something healthier. It’s hard though because there’s nothing better with pb&j than plain potato chips! But maybe I could start by replacing them 2 or 3 times a week. I wish I loved fruit as much as I love potato chips. 😂 But I guess if I did I wouldn’t have this problem in the first place. 😂_________________43 years old. 5’6”. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Current Weight: 228 (14 August 2018)
41 pounds lost so far
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

Yes, that’s very helpful! Kind of like how I’d like to replace my chips with something healthier. It’s hard though because there’s nothing better with pb&j than plain potato chips! But maybe I could start by replacing them 2 or 3 times a week. I wish I loved fruit as much as I love potato chips. 😂 But I guess if I did I wouldn’t have this problem in the first place. 😂

That sounds like a good plan or half the chips and add some salad

Small changes can make a difference over time

Jx_________________Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.

Dinner: Burrito from a takeaway place called Stuffed, consisting of lettuce, tomato, onion, cucumber, rice, black beans and guacamole. I’m from Texas so calling this a burrito is a bit of a stretch for me. But it was ok, very filling.

Urban Ranger: 1 hour._________________43 years old. 5’6”. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Current Weight: 228 (14 August 2018)
41 pounds lost so far
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

It just seems that the denser the food, the less of the plate it can take up, if we want to find a naturally lower weight. But people managed to stay in normal BMI ranges when eating full fat was de rigueur. I suspect they ate less than we think they did.

There's also some evidence that the plainer the food we eat, the lower the body will let the weight fall. I used to get food out but spread the portions out over several meals, supplementing with plainer veggies and my own cooked grains. I have to admit that my weight settles a little lower when I eat very little from outside, though I still use commercial sauces, just small amounts. It doesn't mean I'm willing to forgo all eating out; it's been an evolution that it has decreased over the years. It's almost impossible for restaurants not to use more fat/salt/sugar than needed because they have to compete._________________Count plates, not calories. Three a day. 8 years & counting
Age 64
SBMI Jan/10-30.8
Jan/12-26.8
Mar/13-24.9 Stayed at +/- 8-lb. for three years Sept/17 22.8 (but more fluctuation)
Mar/18 22.2

Urban Ranger: None. My husband took my daughter to school so I didn’t have all that waking built into my day, thus proving that I won’t do it unless it’s just naturally part of my life. Wasn’t completely sedentary as I did clean my house and walked the dog. But he didn’t want to walk far, and I didn’t complain. 😂

I’m not sure I should confess this, but the one part of my 21 Day Challenge that I haven’t kept to is weighing myself. I knew I should have put that scale out of reach! I did great for a week, but it’s been so tempting to check. Thankfully, it’s been slowly going back down. From 237 when I first started the challenge (which was up 3 plus pounds for a couple weeks) to 233 this morning. I suspect that it was never truly weight gained, (although maybe it was) and if I didn’t weigh myself so much, I never would have realized it and it just would’ve naturally gone back down. Well, I gotta say I’m relieved this is still working since I want to lose more.

However, I tried on some beautiful clothes the other day that fit. And looked great. It was a great confidence boost. Yes, I’m well over 200 pounds, but I’ve always been one of those people who carry their weight “well”. Even if I wasn’t, this is the body I’ve got, and I better learn to like it as I will likely always be plus size. Maybe less so as I very slowly continue to lose, but honestly, I ain’t ever gonna be thin. I’m glad I’m at a point in my life where I really accept that and I’m ok with it. For so many years, I wasn’t at all. Wasted time.

But losing 35 pounds has certainly helped me like the way I look more for sure. I couldn’t stand looking at myself in photos when I was at my highest weight. Lately, I’ve seen photos of myself and have felt much better about the situation, even to the point of feeling ok about it even if I don’t lose any more weight._________________43 years old. 5’6”. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Current Weight: 228 (14 August 2018)
41 pounds lost so far
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

A nice place to be! Are These clothes ones that need any special occasions, or can you wear them often? Or can you just make up special occasions?_________________Count plates, not calories. Three a day. 8 years & counting
Age 64
SBMI Jan/10-30.8
Jan/12-26.8
Mar/13-24.9 Stayed at +/- 8-lb. for three years Sept/17 22.8 (but more fluctuation)
Mar/18 22.2

There is no S better than Vanilla No S.

Last edited by oolala53 on Tue Apr 17, 2018 3:19 am; edited 1 time in total

Thanks, Oolala! They are clothes that I can wear anytime. A nice skirt and a couple blouses. There was actually more that fit but I didn’t buy all because they were pretty expensive and also because, well, minimalism, lol. This is one if the few shops in Singapore that sells my size and I was thrilled to find some items that fit. When I got up to my highest weight even the clothes at that shop didn’t fit. That was depressing!

I also wanted to comment on your comments about dense food, eating out, plain food, etc. I hear ya, for sure. Plain food is really, really hard to find in Singapore. I mean, the food here is amazing and with such complex flavors. And eating out is the way of life here. When I lived in the US, eating out was a rarity. It’s just the lifestyle here. Food is everywhere, it’s delicious, it’s cheap, cheap, cheap. But I know I would do better making home cooked, plain food more often. I don’t doubt for a minute that it’s healthier and lower in calories. I try my best at the moment and probably eat out 3 to 4 times a week. My Singaporean in-laws eat out every single meal for lunch and dinner. No joke. They’ve been doing this for decades. They are not the exception here. I’m sure since you lived in Iran you know about delicious, spicy, complex flavors. Singapore is a melting pot of Chinese, Indian and Malay food with plenty of western and other Asian influences thrown in. It’s so tempting! But it does fit in with No S, and I think most people here do eat 3 meals a day (portion sizes are very reasonable) with little or nothing besides an afternoon cup of tea thrown in._________________43 years old. 5’6”. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Current Weight: 228 (14 August 2018)
41 pounds lost so far
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

I guess these in-laws are pretty skinny, too. Curses! (BTW, my original post somehow had the word 'animals" instead of "in-laws." I was mortified when I saw it! I have no idea how it happened, but it was NOT my meaning!_________________Count plates, not calories. Three a day. 8 years & counting
Age 64
SBMI Jan/10-30.8
Jan/12-26.8
Mar/13-24.9 Stayed at +/- 8-lb. for three years Sept/17 22.8 (but more fluctuation)
Mar/18 22.2

Yes, they are pretty thin. My Father-in-law eats his 3 meals a day, plus something for afternoon tea (cake or biscuits or something) plus something for supper! (They call a meal right before bed “supper” - kind of like a midnight snack.) My thin husband does the same. I’ve given this a lot of thought. Many of the locals don’t snack between meals, but many of them have these 2 mini meals- afternoon tea break and supper. Some only have a hot beverage. Others have a snack with it. But even though they eat frequently, they stick to these times. My husband never eats seconds, is never ever tempted to eat outside the 5 meals, no matter how tasty something might be. The quantities for these 2 extra meals are small. Maybe a piece of bread with peanut butter, or fruit. (Although my father-in-law does eat sweet things for these “meals”). So I don’t know. I think it’s a combination of good genetics as well as the fact that they stick to these habits and don’t ever eat at other times. I think the reasonably portioned breakfast, lunch and dinner helps a lot as well. And they are pretty active._________________43 years old. 5’6”. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Current Weight: 228 (14 August 2018)
41 pounds lost so far
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

Unfortunately in our society, for naturally heavy people, if they lose, they will need to eat less than people who weigh the same but were never heavy. The only consolation might be that there's evidence that people who lower their calorie intake but don't lose a lot come from hardy ancestors! Of two people at the same weight, the one who eats less is probably at an advantage. Her lower metabolism will keep her innards younger. Eating like a horse and not gaining is probably not an advantage.

But it looks pretty and enviable._________________Count plates, not calories. Three a day. 8 years & counting
Age 64
SBMI Jan/10-30.8
Jan/12-26.8
Mar/13-24.9 Stayed at +/- 8-lb. for three years Sept/17 22.8 (but more fluctuation)
Mar/18 22.2

Oolala, that is really encouraging actually. At this point in my life, I’m more concerned with longevity and health than looks. I’m not saying that looks don’t mean anything to me. They do. But I honestly feel that I’m naturally heavy, and it really took a long time to be ok with that. Decades. So that’s super interesting about the possible connection between lowering caloric intake, not losing much, and maybe having hardy ancestors. I also just appreciate that in general you acknowledge that some people are naturally heavy. There’s such a belief that all fat people eat all the time. Yes, there were years that I am sure I ate well beyond my caloric needs. I think the fact that I’ve lost weight on No S attests to that. But plenty of thin people eat above their actual caloric needs as well I think. I know I may need to eat a lower amount of calories to lose more weight. The time may come that I decide to do that. But for now, I’m happy to keep doing No S the way I’m doing it and see where that takes me as time goes on. I lost the first 30 pounds pretty easily. The last 5, while “easy” has been ridiculously slow. But I’m looking forward to continuing eating this way for years to come. There’s no way I could say that about any other diet. If I can find a way to eat this way and even keep losing half a pound a month, I’ll be satisfied. I can’t believe I’m saying that now as that would have seemed crazily slow and almost pointless at the beginning of my No S journey.

Thank you for the encouragement!!_________________43 years old. 5’6”. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Current Weight: 228 (14 August 2018)
41 pounds lost so far
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

Lunch: the last of the leftover split pea soup, bread with butter, a couple pickled beet slices, a couple pickle slices, grapes.

3pm: coffee at IKEA.

Dinner: vegetarian Nasi Lemak

Urban Ranger: 1 hour.

Thoughts: My husband and daughter bought ice cream sandwiches last night at a convenient store while we were walking home from dinner. They bought me one as well. I was so tempted to eat it for some reason (I’m usually not that tempted anymore on N days). And honestly, if I weren’t trying to successfully complete these 21 days, I probably would’ve eaten it. 😂 It’s in the freezer, waiting for the weekend._________________43 years old. 5’6”. Long time vegetarian.
Vanilla No S.
Starting Weight: 269 (17 July 2017)
Current Weight: 228 (14 August 2018)
41 pounds lost so far
Goal Weight: Wherever my weight eventually settles on No S.

I think for some people, No S is the lifetime plan without much change, but for others, it can be a place to tread water. The thing is, you won't know up front which one it is, but it kinda doesn't matter because it probably can't be predicted anyway, and it's "safer" than a lot of the alternatives._________________Count plates, not calories. Three a day. 8 years & counting
Age 64
SBMI Jan/10-30.8
Jan/12-26.8
Mar/13-24.9 Stayed at +/- 8-lb. for three years Sept/17 22.8 (but more fluctuation)
Mar/18 22.2